diff --git a/include/mapnik/feature_type_style.hpp b/include/mapnik/feature_type_style.hpp
index 151588459..e6876fa0c 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/feature_type_style.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/feature_type_style.hpp
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ private:
     filter_mode_e filter_mode_;
     // image_filters
     std::vector<filter::filter_type> filters_;
+    std::vector<filter::filter_type> direct_filters_;
     // comp-op
     boost::optional<composite_mode_e> comp_op_;
     // The rule_ptrs vectors are only valid for the scale_denom_validity_.
@@ -76,14 +77,16 @@ public:
     rule_ptrs const& get_else_rules(double scale_denom);
     rule_ptrs const& get_also_rules(double scale_denom);
 
-    rules &get_rules_nonconst();
-
+    rules& get_rules_nonconst();
+    
     void set_filter_mode(filter_mode_e mode);
 
     filter_mode_e get_filter_mode() const;
     // filters
     std::vector<filter::filter_type> const& image_filters() const;
-    std::vector<filter::filter_type> & image_filters();
+    std::vector<filter::filter_type> & image_filters();    
+    std::vector<filter::filter_type> const& direct_image_filters() const;
+    std::vector<filter::filter_type> & direct_image_filters();
     // compositing
     void set_comp_op(composite_mode_e comp_op);
     boost::optional<composite_mode_e> comp_op() const;     
diff --git a/src/agg/agg_renderer.cpp b/src/agg/agg_renderer.cpp
index d1a24b188..22ea43ccc 100644
--- a/src/agg/agg_renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/agg/agg_renderer.cpp
@@ -252,6 +252,14 @@ void agg_renderer<T>::end_style_processing(feature_type_style const& st)
     {                
         composite(pixmap_.data(),current_buffer_->data(), src_over,false,false);
     }
+
+    // apply any 'direct' image filters    
+    mapnik::filter::filter_visitor<image_32> visitor(pixmap_);
+    BOOST_FOREACH(mapnik::filter::filter_type filter_tag, st.direct_image_filters())
+    {
+        boost::apply_visitor(visitor, filter_tag);
+    }   
+    
 #ifdef MAPNIK_DEBUG
     std::clog << "end style processing\n";
 #endif
diff --git a/src/feature_type_style.cpp b/src/feature_type_style.cpp
index 540f7cc47..c14413e6e 100644
--- a/src/feature_type_style.cpp
+++ b/src/feature_type_style.cpp
@@ -37,12 +37,14 @@ IMPLEMENT_ENUM( filter_mode_e, filter_mode_strings )
 feature_type_style::feature_type_style()
 : filter_mode_(FILTER_ALL),
     filters_(),
+    direct_filters_(),
     scale_denom_validity_(-1)
 {}
 
 feature_type_style::feature_type_style(feature_type_style const& rhs, bool deep_copy)
     : filter_mode_(rhs.filter_mode_),
       filters_(rhs.filters_),
+      direct_filters_(rhs.direct_filters_),
       comp_op_(rhs.comp_op_),
       scale_denom_validity_(-1)
 {
@@ -62,6 +64,7 @@ feature_type_style& feature_type_style::operator=(feature_type_style const& rhs)
     if (this == &rhs) return *this;
     rules_=rhs.rules_;   
     filters_ = rhs.filters_;
+    direct_filters_ = rhs.direct_filters_;
     comp_op_ = rhs.comp_op_;
     scale_denom_validity_ = -1;
     return *this;
@@ -78,7 +81,7 @@ rules const& feature_type_style::get_rules() const
     return rules_;
 }
 
-rules &feature_type_style::get_rules_nonconst()
+rules& feature_type_style::get_rules_nonconst()
 {
     return rules_;
 }
@@ -103,6 +106,16 @@ std::vector<filter::filter_type> const&  feature_type_style::image_filters() con
     return filters_;
 }
 
+std::vector<filter::filter_type>&  feature_type_style::direct_image_filters()
+{
+    return direct_filters_;
+}
+
+std::vector<filter::filter_type> const&  feature_type_style::direct_image_filters() const
+{
+    return direct_filters_;
+}
+
 void feature_type_style::set_comp_op(composite_mode_e comp_op)
 {
     comp_op_ = comp_op;
diff --git a/src/load_map.cpp b/src/load_map.cpp
index a56c367c7..f94df3881 100644
--- a/src/load_map.cpp
+++ b/src/load_map.cpp
@@ -430,22 +430,45 @@ void map_parser::parse_style(Map & map, xml_node const& sty)
         }
 
         // image filters
+
+        mapnik::image_filter_grammar<std::string::const_iterator,
+                                     std::vector<mapnik::filter::filter_type> > filter_grammar;
+        
         optional<std::string> filters = sty.get_opt_attr<std::string>("image-filters");
         if (filters)
         {
             std::string filter_mode = *filters;
-            if (filter_mode.empty())
-            {
-                throw config_error("failed to parse empty image-filter");
-            }
             std::string::const_iterator itr = filter_mode.begin();
             std::string::const_iterator end = filter_mode.end();
-            mapnik::image_filter_grammar<std::string::const_iterator,std::vector<mapnik::filter::filter_type> > g;
+            
 
-            bool result = boost::spirit::qi::phrase_parse(itr,end, g, boost::spirit::qi::ascii::space, style.image_filters());
+            bool result = boost::spirit::qi::phrase_parse(itr,end, 
+                                                          filter_grammar, 
+                                                          boost::spirit::qi::ascii::space, 
+                                                          style.image_filters());
             if (!result || itr!=end)
             {
-                throw config_error("failed to parse image-filter: '" + std::string(itr,end) + "'");
+                throw config_error("failed to parse image-filters: '" + std::string(itr,end) + "'");
+            }            
+        }
+        
+        // direct image filters (applied directly on main image buffer 
+        // TODO : consider creating a separate XML node e.g 
+        // <ImageFilter name="myfilter" op="blur emboss"/> 
+        // 
+        optional<std::string> direct_filters = sty.get_opt_attr<std::string>("direct-image-filters");
+        if (direct_filters)
+        {
+            std::string filter_mode = *direct_filters;
+            std::string::const_iterator itr = filter_mode.begin();
+            std::string::const_iterator end = filter_mode.end();                        
+            bool result = boost::spirit::qi::phrase_parse(itr,end, 
+                                                          filter_grammar, 
+                                                          boost::spirit::qi::ascii::space, 
+                                                          style.direct_image_filters());
+            if (!result || itr!=end)
+            {
+                throw config_error("failed to parse direct-image-filters: '" + std::string(itr,end) + "'");
             }            
         }